PM approves pay hikes for staffers

TAXPAYERS are footing an $ 840,000 bill for extraordinary pay top- ups authorised by Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull for political staffers in his government.

NewsCorp can reveal Mr Turnbull has personally intervened to give wage boosts to 30 government staffers.

The extra payments, which have raised eyebrows in government circles, come as ordinary workers struggle with record low wage growth.

Under their workplace agreement, government staffers can be paid a maximum salary of $ 259,000, which is already well above the $ 203,000 wage of most federal MPs.

But Mr Turnbull has used a special power in the Members of Parliament ( Staff) Act 1984 to hand an average of $ 28,000 each to the 30 staffers. The Prime Minister’s decision, which has caused envy among other government employees, has also sparked fears that extravagant pay rates will be entrenched for public servants who become political staffers. Mr Turnbull paid former chief of staff Drew Clarke $ 691,000 – nearly $ 200,000 more than the Prime Minister himself – after he matched the wage he received as the secretary of the Department tions.

“Any practice which results in ministerial staff being paid more than their ministers is a concern,” a government MP told NewsCorp. “This reflects the fact that top- level public sector pay is out of control.”

Mr Turnbull also handpicked high- profile public servants Greg Moriarty and Peter Woolcott to serve as his chief of staff. When in govern- of Communica- ment, Labor used the same loophole to give extra cash to only a handful of staffers, according to reports on the Members of Parliament ( Staff) Act. But 38 Labor staffers were paid above their classification in 2013.

The Department of Finance told the Senate the 30 current staffers receiving extra pay included chiefs of staff, advisers and government and nongovernment personal staff.